Kukla's Korner Hockey

Sharks GM Doug Wilson has done well to keep his core together this summer, re-signing Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski through the 2013-14 season, and would ultimately like to add Thornton to that list.

“The onus is on us to make this a place guys want to play and stay at,” Wilson said. “The group of players that we have, that have complemented us as an organization, that’s something we hope to continue.”

Thornton, who had 89 points in the regular season, added 12 points in 15 playoff games as the Sharks advanced to the Western Conference finals.

While Wilson won’t publicly comment on negotiations with Thornton, he made one thing clear: He won’t be doing any Kovalchuk-like deal with his franchise center, even if an extended long-term deal would help drive down the salary cap hit.

“We don’t have any contracts longer than four years,” Wilson said. “We are a player payroll team. We operate the way we operate. Under the CBA, people have options and choices. We have our own structure.”

Craig also points out the Bruins have had preliminary talks with Zdeno Chara.

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“The onus is on us to make this a place guys want to play and stay at,” Wilson said. “Basicaly, we’re looking for guys who like to have the months of May through September off. Because that’s the way we choke, er, I mean, roll.”